A usually beautiful, virginal, virtuous, and hopelessly passive young woman constantly in need of rescue by the dashing hero. She is portrayed as rather asexual and usually a foil for the assertive but dangerously seductive femme fatale.
While the damsel in distress makes appearances in many folk stories dating back to Antiquity and features in a few fairy tales, this passive heroine does not seem to make regular appearances until the Victorian era; the Middle Ages were idealized as a time of pre-industrial innocence and the Victorians projected their ideals of men and women onto their Medieval ancestors; the Industrial Revolution was in full swing and women, displaced from farms and entering the middle class, lost some autonomy over their lives and became more ornamental, more dependent on their husbands.
Damsels in distress are often shown tied to railroad tracks, to sawmill conveyor belts, or offered as sacrifice to a dragon (or King Kong) until her knight in shining armor arrives to save her in the nick of time.
While the damsel in distress makes appearances in many folk stories dating back to Antiquity and features in a few fairy tales, this passive heroine does not seem to make regular appearances until the Victorian era; the Middle Ages were idealized as a time of pre-industrial innocence and the Victorians projected their ideals of men and women onto their Medieval ancestors; the Industrial Revolution was in full swing and women, displaced from farms and entering the middle class, lost some autonomy over their lives and became more ornamental, more dependent on their husbands.
Damsels in distress are often shown tied to railroad tracks, to sawmill conveyor belts, or offered as sacrifice to a dragon (or King Kong) until her knight in shining armor arrives to save her in the nick of time.
A damsel in distress would not have fared well in Medieval Europe. Generally, European women in the Middle Ages were not expected to be these timid shrinking violets; Christina of Markyate (who resisted a forced marriage and followed her dream of becoming a holy woman), Marjorie of Carrick, Christine de Pisan (a proto-feminist of sorts), Margery Kempe (another mystic), and Nicola de la Haye (led her castle against a siege in her 60s) are just a few of examples of women who took the reins in their own lives.
Women of that time and place were in danger of abduction, especially if they were wealthy... but it was preferable to a loveless marriage. The average "knight in shining armor" was a mix of professional assassin and local rapist, so the damsel often arranged to be kidnapped by her preferred suitor or even do the abducting herself:
Marjorie of Carrick (c. 1253-1292) was a countess in her own right, but was married young to an older husband who died in the Crusades in 1271; she was informed of this by her husband's handsome young companion, Robert de Brus. Marjorie, out hunting at the time and far from upset by the news, was so taken by his beauty that she took him back to her castle and held him captive until he agreed to marry her; she must have done something right, because they were married within days. The second of their eleven children was Robert the Bruce himself.
Women of that time and place were in danger of abduction, especially if they were wealthy... but it was preferable to a loveless marriage. The average "knight in shining armor" was a mix of professional assassin and local rapist, so the damsel often arranged to be kidnapped by her preferred suitor or even do the abducting herself:
Marjorie of Carrick (c. 1253-1292) was a countess in her own right, but was married young to an older husband who died in the Crusades in 1271; she was informed of this by her husband's handsome young companion, Robert de Brus. Marjorie, out hunting at the time and far from upset by the news, was so taken by his beauty that she took him back to her castle and held him captive until he agreed to marry her; she must have done something right, because they were married within days. The second of their eleven children was Robert the Bruce himself.
by Lorelili October 10, 2011
Get the damsel in distress mug.A cliche in bad movies such as A Kid in King Arthur's Court in which a female character in the first act of the movie is strong and totally independent and can kick ass but in the last part of the movie becomes weak and helpless and needs a man to save her.
Phrase comes from the Nostalgia Critic review of A Kid in King Arthur's Court.
Phrase comes from the Nostalgia Critic review of A Kid in King Arthur's Court.
Hmmm... that princess who knew martial arts and swordfighting and could defeat a man twice her size now can't break out of the arm lock of a man her size. She must have the dumbass in distress disorder.
by King of Jellybeans December 30, 2009
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A internet celebrity whore who fails at reviewing trailers (basically commercials) for movies.
Also can be used to describe someone who is excessively nitpicky about the most pointless and uneventful reasons in a jarring, loud and irritating voice and rants about said insignificance for multiple times longer than the duration of said act.
Also can be used to describe someone who is excessively nitpicky about the most pointless and uneventful reasons in a jarring, loud and irritating voice and rants about said insignificance for multiple times longer than the duration of said act.
Dude, stop being a Distressed Watcher, complaining about the 3 second rising sun in that movie trailer, for the last 10 minutes. It's not a big deal and you're not funny!
by SchuminWebdotcom November 3, 2009
Get the Distressed Watcher mug.by Muerte55 January 5, 2009
Get the frapezoidal distress mug.The male equivalent term for Damsel in Distress. Very similar scenario, except the one who is need of rescue is a male of any certain age.
Dude in Distress
A young man gets kidnapped by some thugs and his best friends and his girlfriend were the ones to save him.
A young man gets kidnapped by some thugs and his best friends and his girlfriend were the ones to save him.
by Jakegothicsnake August 26, 2009
Get the Dude in Distress mug.by Quackalishus March 22, 2004
Get the damsel in distress mug.The attractive woman at work who plays the coquette and victim when it suits her but also demands respect and advancement. Coworkers either hate her or swoon over her. No one is neutral in their opinions of her.
"Can you believe that Stacey charged her supervisor with harassment? He just asked her to do her job."
"Yeah and now she got a promotion on top of it!"
"She's a demanding damsel in distress."
"Yeah and now she got a promotion on top of it!"
"She's a demanding damsel in distress."
by Cirdellin January 13, 2010
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